The last major shake-up for the Minnesota Vikings organization involved changes at both the general manager and head coach positions. At this point, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah isn’t going anywhere this offseason, and head coach Kevin O’Connell is almost guaranteed to sign a very lucrative contract extension.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the front office will look the same next season. In fact, there’s one member of the Vikings front office that is already being linked to a newly opened general manager job in New York, after the Jets fired Joe Douglas.
Minnesota Vikings exec Ryan Grigson floated as New York Jets GM candidate
Describing the New York Jets as a “mess” barely scratches the surface. This is a franchise that was struggling long before Aaron Rodgers arrived and they’ll still be “the goddamn Jets” after he is gone. But on Wednesday, Minnesota Vikings’ Senior Vice President of Player Personnel, Ryan Grigson, emerged as a potential candidate to try and fix the pattern of poor management in the Big Apple. That is… if he wants the job.
An intriguing candidate has to actually want the Jets general manager job. This will not be the most desirable opening. But since general managers enjoy longer tenures than head coaches, and only 32 of these jobs exist, the candidate pool will be fairly strong.
Winners are an easy place to start. Several executives play a pivotal role in the roster building and culture of contenders, including Eagles assistant general manager Alec Halaby, Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray, Vikings senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson, Texans executive vice president of player personnel James Liipfert, Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew, Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl and Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander — a former lieutenant of Douglas’ in New York.
Jeremy Fowler lists potential Jets GM candidates (ESPN)
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The Jets don’t have a particularly intriguing draw from a roster construction standpoint, but it’s still a storied franchise, in a top sports market. As Fowler points out, there are only 32 NFL GM jobs in this world, so turn one down at your own risk.
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Grigson has been with Minnesota for three seasons now, but has over 25 years of NFL front office experience. He spent 2012-16 as the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts. If he is looking to get back to that level, maybe New York is it. But clearly, Fowler isn’t convinced the Jets will have their choice of candidates.
For the Vikings, Fowler’s mention of Ryan Grigson means that we can probably expect one of their top front office executives to move on sooner, rather than later. There is no NFL insider more plugged into TCO Performance Center than Fowler, who has had tentacles inside the organization since the Brett Favre era. If he is floating Grigson’s name, it’s intentional.